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APPENDIX B: Mandatory Reporting Obligations for Harrow Bangkok School Counsellors
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of school counselling practice. However, as stated in the above policy, a child or young person’s wishes about confidentiality are overridden by the paramount duty to protect their safety or welfare. Such a duty requires information to be shared with a very select group of staff leading the pastoral care of the child. The information below is intended as a resource for Harrow School Counsellors to understand when they are required to report information to the Pastoral Safeguarding Team following the reporting procedures set out in the Safeguarding Policy. This resource may not be exhaustive. Failure to meet these requirements will result in disciplinary action as a minimum response and termination of employment as a maximum response. 12.1 Reporting disclosures made during Counselling Sessions Counsellors must report disclosures made during Counselling Sessions when: a. In the course of practising or carrying out duties of a School counsellor they form a reasonable belief that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer physical or emotional harm, a report must be made as soon as practicable after forming the belief and after each occasion on which they become aware of any further reasonable grounds for the belief. b. The need to follow reporting procedures is rooted in our duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It may be assumed that the need to safeguard children will always take precedence over the child’s right to autonomy and to confidentiality. The counsellor may feel conflicted when a young person makes a disclosure, but does not want it to be acted upon, is also owed a duty of confidentiality. This is explicitly recognised as a problematic issue. A decision whether to disclose information may be particularly difficult if the counsellor believes it may damage the trust between themselves and the student. In such situations, the counsellor should explain the problem to the relevant DSL or DSFP and be instructed by them. The counsellor must then explain the reasons to the student if it is decided that they must act against a parent or child’s wishes.
Harrow International School Bangkok is committed to the safety and protection of children. All staff and visitors are expected to comply with our safeguarding policy and procedures. Page 8 of 9